[Latent prostatic cancer]

Systematic histological investigations concerning the latent carcinoma of the prostate gland were performed on macrosections by means of the serial section technique in 450 males between 40 and older than 80 years. The frequency was 29.6% with age-related increase of frequency. Unequivocally dominated uniform highly differentiated adenocarcinomas. An infiltration of the capsule was found in 65.4% and an infiltration of the perineural sheath in 42.8% of the cases, preferring the pluriform types of carcinomas. Hyperplastic lesions of the prostate gland with cellular atypias could be made evident in the latent carcinoma of the uniform type in 74% and in the pluriform type in 91.9% of the cases. The results emphasize the requirement of a careful and comprehensive investigation of the TUR-material by the pathologist, on the other hand they support the opinion of the occurrence of various types of carcinoma of the prostate gland with different morphogenesis and prognosis.